Paradise
by ElvinLioness
Summary: A SHORT STORY- Hermione was in a serious relationship with Ron when he dumped her. Alone and depressed, she takes comfort in Draco, but what happens when things get rough?


This is a short story I wrote about Hermione and Draco. It's sad and dramatic. Please read and review and tell me what you think.  
  
I'm also using Vanessa Carlton's song 'Paradise'.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the song Paradise, which belong to JK and Vanessa Carlton.  
  
Paradise By ElvinLioness  
  
Hermione sat in the café, alone. Tears streamed down her face and splashed into her coffee cup. She sat in a booth in the very back of the room, hoping to disappear from all human knowledge.  
  
She had been in a steady relationship with Ron Weasly since 6th year at Hogwarts School. She was now twenty-three. They had moved in together four years ago. When Ron had said he needed to talk to her about something very important, she had expected him to ask her to marry him. She was ecstatic. She loved Ron, and wanted to marry him. She had pictured the whole scene in her head.  
  
She hadn't expected her boyfriend of eight years to break things off with her. And for what purpose? Because he was in love with another.  
  
She started crying harder. Her sobs drew the attention of the other customers, but she didn't care. She wanted to die. She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her alive, to put her out of her misery.  
  
She felt someone slide into the seat across from her. She didn't even look up. She could tell it was a male. She felt his legs brush gently against hers under the booth. She ignored his presence, but he wouldn't be ignored.  
  
She just starred down, into her black coffee. She felt him lift his hand and place it at her temple. He gently stroked her cheek slowly till he reached her chin. He lifted her face to look at him. It was Draco Malfoy.  
  
She starred into his deep, gray eyes, and she saw something there that she had never seen before: Sympathy.  
  
She looked away. She starred back into her coffee. Neither said anything. She just kept starring at her coffee. It was black. No cream, no milk, just black.  
  
"I hate black coffee." She stated, still starring at her coffee. She wasn't speaking specifically to Draco, but he answered anyway.  
  
"So why drink it that way?"  
  
She smiled, but still her gaze didn't falter.  
  
"Ron loves black coffee." She said, putting extra emphasis on 'loves'.  
  
Without saying a word, Draco got up and left the booth. Normally, Hermione would have found this very rude, but she was too upset to care. She held her hands tightly around her cup, trying to save any warmth left from its inside contents.  
  
Draco returned shortly, again without any real recognition from Hermione.  
  
He grabbed the cup from her and pulled it into the middle of the table, forcing Hermione to change her gaze to the middle of the table. He held a carton of milk in one hand and a handful of sugar packets in the other. He dropped the sugar on the table and opened the carton. He dumped some milk in the cup. He set the carton aside. He grabbed three packets, ripped the tops off of all of them at the same time and dumped them in the cub. He then pushed the cup back over to her. She smiled again. She lifted her gaze from the cup and looked up at Draco.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem."  
  
He smiled. They talked. He asked her out. She was shocked, but excepted.  
  
She didn't want to be alone. She was terrified of being alone. She allowed herself to believe that she was in love with him.  
  
Then, after only three weeks of dating, he proposed to her. It wasn't the way she had pictured it with Ron, but it was a proposal just the same.  
  
She didn't want to be alone. She was terrified of being alone. She said yes.  
  
On their wedding night, he told her:  
  
"Your life from now on will be life in paradise."  
  
"Paradise.." She echoed.  
  
A month after she said 'I do' he started abusing her. He said she wasn't pretty enough, that she was ugly. He would blow up every time she spilled something or made a mess, which made her hands shake, which made it easier for her to spill or make a mess. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Once upon a year gone by She saw herself give in Every time she closed her eyes she saw could have been  
  
Well nothing hurts and nothing bleeds When covers tucked in tight  
  
Funny how when the bottom drops How she forgets to fight... To fight... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ She applied heavy make-up every day to hide her bruises. She wore long sleeved shirts with high collars even though it was the middle of summer.  
  
She was only allowed out of the house to get groceries and other necessities.  
  
She was not allowed to talk to her friends in person or on the phone  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ As darkness quickly steals the light That shined within her eyes She slowly swallows all her fear And sooths her mind with lies  
  
Well all she wants and all she needs Are reasons to survive A day in which the sun will take Her artificial light... Her light...  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
She would sit up late at night, sitting in her rocking chair, so close to the fire she could feel its flames on her face.  
  
With every rock of the chair she heard it mocking her:  
  
Paraaaadise Paraaaadise Paraaaadise  
  
And it was all she could do to keep from crying.  
  
'But at least... At least I'm not alone.' She would tell herself, over and over.  
  
She held back her tears, her sobs. She couldn't let Draco see her cry. She couldn't let Draco hear her sobs.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ And it's one more day in paradise One more day in paradise It's one more day in paradise One last chance.. To feel alright... Alright...  
  
Don't pretend to hold it in just let it out Don't pretend to hold it in just push it out Don't you try to hold it in just let it out and Don't you try to hold it in you hold it in...  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Ron pulled up to the large, white, house. He glanced down at a slip of paper in his hand with an address scribbled on it. This was it, where Hermione was supposedly living.  
  
He walked up to the door, but before he could ring the bell, he heard a loud smack and a muffled shout. He heard a woman whimper. Hermione!  
  
He rang the bell. He heard a voice say: 'Get up stairs now!' in a hushed, yet still very vial whisper.  
  
He rang the bell again. The door opened. Malfoy just stood there like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  
  
"Where's Hermione?" Ron demanded loudly.  
  
Malfoy smiled wickedly. "Get off my property, Weasley, before I call the police on you."  
  
"Where's Hermione?!" Ron demanded, still not moving from his spot on the porch. He was answered with Draco shutting the door in his face.  
  
"God!" he exclaimed in fury. He knew that Draco would not hesitate to call the police on him, but.. Hermione...  
  
~ * ~ Hermione, instead of going all the way up, waited at the banister and strained her ears to hear who was at the door. Her heart jumped when she heard Ron's voice. She heard Draco slam the door. She ran to her window that faced the front of the house. She stood there and watched as he started to walk away from the house, kicked the side of his car, leaving a big dent, and running his hands threw his bright red hair, trying to decide what to do.  
  
She smiled in spite of herself. She still loved him.  
  
He finally walked around to the drivers side of the car and opened the door. He looked back up at the house once more, and taught sight of Hermione standing at the window.  
  
He saw her, but barely recognized her. She had one black eye, many bruises all over her arms and face, and a cut on her forehead and upper-arm.  
  
He saw Draco come into the room, and shut the curtains. But just before he did, he locked eyes with Hermione.  
  
Again, she smiled in spite of her self. He still loved her too.  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
Once upon a year gone by She saw herself give in Every time she closed her eyes She saw what could have been..  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
~ ElvinLioness  
  
Please review! 


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